


the warning signs can feel like they're butterflies

by imposterhuman



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU-gust 2020, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Identity Porn, M/M, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark Friendship, Steve Rogers as Superman, journalist tony stark, tony stark as lois lane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:40:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25788979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imposterhuman/pseuds/imposterhuman
Summary: If there was one thing Tony hated about Manhattan, it was Captain America, their resident superhero. Frankly, Tony wasn’t sure why they even had a resident superhero, seeing as there wasn’t exactly a resident supervillain to fight off, but everyone else in the city seemed about ready to fall at the guy’s feet. Tony, well, he was a little more leery about the entire concept of some masked guy dispensing justice as he saw fit.It was no secret that Tony wasn’t Captain America’s biggest fan, which was why he was currently gaping in shock at his boss, who’d just handed him his new assignment.“I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”Fury looked unimpressed. “I said that your new assignment is an in-depth exposé on Captain America."
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 20
Kudos: 244





	the warning signs can feel like they're butterflies

**Author's Note:**

> i'm sorry in advance for any superman inaccuracies-- i took the idea and not much more because i've literally never seen the movies. the only dc movies i've seen were wonder woman and birds of prey because i am a raging lesbian.
> 
> for au-gust day 8: superheroes/superpowers au
> 
> enjoy!!

If there was one thing Tony hated about Manhattan, it was Captain America, their resident superhero. Frankly, Tony wasn’t sure why they even  _ had  _ a resident superhero, seeing as there wasn’t exactly a resident supervillain to fight off, but everyone else in the city seemed about ready to fall at the guy’s feet. Tony, well, he was a little more leery about the entire concept of some masked guy dispensing justice as he saw fit. 

It wasn’t that he disagreed with anything Captain America had done so far. In fact, he could go so far as to say he supported the agenda. It was the mystery that Tony took issue with. As a journalist, Tony was committed to the finding and disseminating of the truth, and the truth was that no one knew who the guy was, beyond a basic description that matched a million people in the city. Hell, there was even a guy in Tony’s office who looked like Captain America. 

It was no secret that Tony wasn’t Captain America’s biggest fan, which was why he was currently gaping in shock at his boss, who’d just handed him his new assignment.

“I’m sorry, can you repeat that?” Tony couldn’t believe his ears.

Fury looked unimpressed. “I said that your new assignment is an in-depth exposé on Captain America,” he repeated. “You’re our best investigative journalist, so I think you’ll be able to get results where others haven’t.”

“Hell no,” Tony shook his head vehemently. “First of all, flattery won’t work. Natasha is your best investigative journalist and we both know it. Second of all, you know I’m terrible for this project. Use Steve! He denies it, but we all know he’s a Captain America fanboy.”

“Natasha lacks a certain kind of delicacy, and Steve is biased,” Fury’s voice was stern. Tony already knew what was coming. “My decision is final. I want an article on my desk next week, or I want your resignation.”

Tony made a face. “One of these days, I’m going to resign, and where will that leave you?”

“With fewer gray hairs,” said Fury. “Now, get out of my office and get to work.”

“You’re bald!” Tony cried, but his boss was already ignoring him. He resisted the urge to slam the door, because he was a mature adult, but he left it just barely cracked so that Fury would have to get up to close it himself, because he wasn’t  _ that  _ mature. 

As he stomped back to his desk, he cursed unfair bosses and stupid blonde superheroes and the entire institution of journalism, possibly a little too loudly if the looks he was getting were any indication. Tony didn’t really care; he was already the office eccentric, anyway. He could admit that it was a reputation well-deserved: he had the tendency to get so absorbed in an article that he forgot about basic things like sleep and leaving the office every so often. His coffee intake was the stuff of office horror stories. 

He was nothing like Steve, who had a perfect work-life balance and always looked composed and not like he’d chugged the entire coffee pot. Steve’s desk was rigidly organized, his articles even more so. The only thing out of place was how he always had an article or two about Captain America open on his desk, and how he’d shove the paper in a drawer any time anyone came close enough to read over his shoulder. Tony had tried to sneak up on him, but Steve had to have super hearing or something, because he never could. 

_ Steve  _ was the one who should’ve ended up with this investigation, Tony thought. He was professional enough that he could put aside his personal biases, unlike Tony, whose first drafts usually ended up looking like op-eds. 

Tony sat on the man in question’s desk, interrupting his typing.

“Yes?” Steve looked up at him and raised an eyebrow over the rim of his dorky glasses.

See, Steve Rogers was a  _ dork _ . He fooled everyone because he had more muscles than a professional bodybuilder and catlike reflexes, but he  _ also  _ wore thick-rimmed glasses and perfectly-pressed button downs. Tony had his measure, and that measure was  _ dork _ . Maybe that was why he was such a Captain America fanboy.

Tony kicked his legs against the desk. “Guess what?” he asked, making a face.

“Hmm,” Steve pretended to think for a moment. “AI is finally taking over?”

“I’m clearly making an upset face, Steve,” Tony exaggerated his frown. “You know I’m pro-AI.”

Steve shook his head fondly. “Fine, I give up,” he said. “What’s up?”

“Fury gave me the Captain America assignment,” Tony complained. He was well aware that he sounded whiny, but he thought he deserved to whine a little bit. “I’m so pissed.”

Steve, interestingly enough, looked like he was about to throw up. He’d gone pale and he wouldn’t meet Tony’s eyes. “Oh?” he said, his voice a little strangled. “That’s, uh…”

“Great?” Tony finished, smiling without mirth. “From a practical standpoint, technically, yes. If I break a new angle of the story, that could make my career. But if I publish the exact same  _ we know nothing  _ bullshit that’s been every other investigative piece, I’m looking at shittier and shittier assignments until I fade into oblivion. Don’t be jealous; the second is way more likely.”

“Are you even going to investigate?” Steve questioned, his face starting to turn slightly green. Tony was starting to get a little worried. “Since you’re so sure you’ll turn up nothing, anyway.”

“Of course I’m going to investigate,” Tony scoffed. “I’m going to find out this guy’s name, if only out of spite. If I have to throw myself off a building to get rescued by the guy, I will. But I’m gonna get results; you know I’m good at this. Hey, are you okay?”

While Tony had been talking, Steve had stood up, clutching his stomach. “I think I ate something weird,” he said, teeth clenched. “If you’ll excuse me. Congrats on the assignment.”

“Feel better,” Tony called after him, confused. He hoped Steve was okay; the man rarely got sick, and when he did, it was always really bad. Resolving to check on Steve before he went home for the night, Tony walked over to his own desk. 

He shoved aside a stack of files and articles he had to do the final edits for and opened his laptop. Tony created a new file called  _ Captain America _ . It was empty, but it definitely made him feel more accomplished about the hopeless project. With a huff, Tony started to research. Maybe he could find something that would help him get a starting point for the investigation. He hated to admit it, but he was fresh out of ideas.

By the end of the day, Tony was pretty much ready to throw in the towel on the whole thing. No one knew  _ anything _ , not even on Reddit boards and conspiracy theory sites. Maybe throwing himself off a building to get the guy to catch him was the best move. It was a last resort, because Tony  _ really  _ didn’t want to put his life in some random person’s hands, even if said person was a superhero. 

Tony sighed and shut his laptop. Without him noticing, night had fallen, and the office was almost empty. Steve’s desk was abandoned, his things gone, and Tony cursed himself for not noticing. Tony packed his stuff up; he wasn’t going to get anything else done that night, and even he and his workaholic tendencies knew that at some point, he was just beating a dead horse. 

He said his goodnights to the few writers still working (he wasn’t sure Natasha ever went home, but she somehow always looked put-together. She was terrifying) and left the building. His apartment was a short walk away, and it was a nice, clear night. In the distance, he heard sirens, but they weren’t close enough that he was worried. He lived in a safer part of town, anyway, so he felt fine ducking through an alley as a shortcut.

A thump, like something hitting the ground, had him changing his mind. At that point, he was already halfway through the alley, so it wasn’t like he could turn around, but he definitely picked up the pace. He wasn’t going to be the idiot in a horror movie who died in the first five minutes, no siree. He didn’t look even when he heard the swooshing of fabric and knew that there was a person behind him, not, like, an obese alley cat.

“Tony,” a gravelly voice said, just on the edge of familiar, and Tony revised his thoughts. He wasn’t the idiot who died at the beginning, he was the goddamn protagonist and he hadn’t noticed. How else would some random serial killer know his name? Trying not to hyperventilate, he turned around, forcing the inevitable confrontation.

“I have pepper spray and I’m not afraid to use it,” he warned, fishing it out of his bag and not taking his eyes off the shadowy figure. He was so glad he’d listened to Pepper when she’d given it to him. Tony brandished it like it was a deadly weapon.

The figure stepped forward, and Tony stopped breathing. The figure was  _ Captain goddamn America _ . He wore the red, white, and blue, his shield glinting in the low light. A cowl covered his head, protecting his identity. He was quite a bit taller than Tony, which was irritating, but Tony was magnanimous ignoring that fact. 

“Please don’t pepper spray me,” said Captain America, holding up his hands placatingly. 

“Please don’t sneak up on me in alleys in the middle of the night,” Tony countered, waving the pepper spray. “I’m well within my rights to use this, stalker.”

Captain America winced. “Sorry about that,” he said, scrubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. The gesture was so  _ normal _ that it gave Tony whiplash. Here was a literal  _ superhero _ , embarrassed because he’d committed a social faux pas. Tony reluctantly put away the pepper spray. “I just wanted to talk to you.”

“Oh?” Tony raised an eyebrow. He’d done a lot of interviews since starting off as a journalist; he knew the best way to get someone talking was to give them silence to fill. So he stayed expectantly quiet, waiting for the man to elaborate.

“I wanted to ask you to stop your investigation,” Captain America said quietly. “If you keep digging, you won’t like what you discover.”

Tony’s mind was racing. How had the man known about the investigation? It had only just started that morning, and it wasn’t like Tony had actually found anything yet. Suddenly, Tony was angry. He was used to people trying to shut him up so he wouldn’t dig up their dirty laundry. Sure, it was normally corrupt CEOs or criminal executives, but why not add a morally ambiguous superhero to that list?

“Yeah, no,” he said bluntly. “You have to have known that saying that wouldn’t end well for you.” 

The man smiled ruefully. “No, I didn’t think you’d agree.”

Tony took a step forward, jabbing his finger into Captain America’s (stupidly firm and muscular) chest. “I’m going to find out who you are,” he swore. “I’m going to find out everything about you. And if you try to silence me again, it won’t end well for you. You could kill me, of course, but I don’t think that would look good for your superhero image. So, no, resign yourself to the mortifying ordeal of being known. That’s what you signed up for when you decided to operate outside the law.”

“Is that why you’re doing this?” Captain America didn’t step back. He tilted his head like a curious puppy. “Because I’m going over the heads of law enforcement?”

“Of course not, I don’t give a shit about cops,” Tony waved his hand. “The people have a right to hold you accountable. What happens when you make a bad call? You flee into the night and face no consequences for it? Who takes care of the property damage you cause? You hide your identity and you hide from the very people you claim to want to help.  _ That’s  _ why I’m doing this. I like your vigilante schtick; I’d like it a lot more if I knew that you’d get in trouble if you snapped and killed ten people, or something.”

Captain America was silent for a moment. “I never thought of it that way,” he rumbled, then fell quiet again.

“I won’t stop investigating,” Tony warned. It was less of a threat this time and more of a promise.

A glimmer of a smile graced the other man’s lips. “I wouldn’t expect you to,” he said. “Good night, Tony. Get home safe.”

With that, Captain America was gone. It was like he’d disappeared into thin air. One blink, he’d been standing in front of Tony, the next, he was gone. Tony added  _ enhanced speed?  _ to the running list of information in his head. He stood in shock for a moment, trying to process that entire interaction. He’d have thought it was in his head if not for the set of footprints in front of him, tracked wet from stepping in a puddle, or something. Captain America really hadn’t given him that much, he realized. Tony had definitely shown his hand more, but it wasn’t like he was the one with something to hide. Besides, Captain America already knew about him.

Wait.  _ Captain America already knew about him _ .

Tony frowned, realization dawning. “Hey,” he said, more to himself than anyone else. He didn’t see, couldn’t have seen, the shadow two rooftops away pause to listen. “How the fuck did he know my name?”

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos make me happy :))
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr [@imposter-human](https://imposter-human.tumblr.com/)


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